Friday, January 14, 2011

A Repost From Manila Bulletin

8 Great Ways That Vitamin E Helps the Skin

Vitamin E helps the skin by protecting it from the sun, retaining the natural moisture of the skin, aiding in the absorption of vitamin A, fighting and preventing acne, fighting skin aging, treating sunburns, reducing the appearance of scars, and preventing skin cancer.

Vitamin E is well-known for its many health benefits. But, aside from promoting overall health, vitamin E also has many positive effects on the skin. That is why many beauty treatments and skincare items are infused with vitamin E. Some of the rich natural sources of this essential vitamin are grains, nuts, dairy products and natural oils like argan oil products and sunflower oil. Here are some ways that vitamin E can help your skin:

Protects the skin from the sun

Vitamin E offers protection from the sun. In fact, sunscreen lotions use vitamin E as a primary ingredient. Sunscreen lotions with vitamin E seal the skin's epidermis layer, thereby protecting it from the damaging ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Retains the natural moisture of the skin

Vitamin E helps prevent skin dehydration and is effective in sealing in moisture in the skin. When skin is properly moisturized it looks radiant, youthful and healthy.

Aids in the absorption of vitamin A

Vitamin A is also essential for the body and can promote good eyesight and healthy skin. In fact, many skin treatments also have vitamin A as an ingredient. On the other hand, insufficient amounts of vitamin A can be harmful for the body, and vitamin E helps prevent the negative consequences of this deficiency by helping the body absorb and regulate vitamin A.

Fights and prevents acne

Vitamin E oil has profound effects on acne and blemishes. Some research has shown that vitamin E helps prevent acne and other skin breakouts. Additionally acne patients have claimed that acne lesions heal faster when vitamin E is applied topically on the skin.

Fights skin aging

Vitamin E is well-known to be a powerful antioxidant. It fights free radicals and detoxifies the body. Because of this, vitamin E is effective as an anti-aging treatment and helps fight the signs of skin aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. Taking vitamin E supplements of as little as 400 milligrams daily can have profound effects on your skin's texture and can decrease wrinkles and sun damage.

Treats sunburns

Vitamin E is calming and soothing for the skin. It is also popular for its anti-inflammatory properties. You can treat sunburns, darkened skin areas, dark spots and liver spots caused by sun exposure with vitamin E. Additionally, it is advisable to slather vitamin E oil onto the skin about 20 minutes before going out into the sun.

Reduces the appearnance of scars

Regularly using vitamin E oil will have positive effects on scars and stretch marks. Scars are caused by the formation of collagen on the skin and some experts explain that vitamin E helps decrease the strength of the collagen strands. Because of this, the scars become more pliable and easier to treat.

Prevents skin cancer

The potent antioxidant properties of vitamin E coupled with its sun protection properties make it effective for preventing skin cancer and severe skin damage.

Whether it's argan oil products or vitamin E supplements, it is a great idea to include vitamin E in one's diet, health and beauty routine.

Reposted From Manila Bulletin

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Repost From ANN (Asian News Network)

Philippine peso among top currency picks in '11

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - American investment bank Merrill Lynch has picked the Philippine peso as among its two currency favorites this 2011, saying the local currency was undervalued by about 10-15 percent given the strength of the country's external surplus.

Visiting Merrill Lynch foreign-exchange strategist Ashok Bhundia told reporters Monday (January 10) that the peso and the Singapore dollar were among his firm's top currency picks for this year.

"The peso, we believe, is mainly being supported by remittance inflows, which remain very strong. The growth dynamics is getting structural boost from a reform-minded government and if expectations prove right, we should see the fiscal position improve structurally," Bhundia said.

Based on a statistical model used by Merrill Lynch in estimating the sustainable level of current account, Bhundia said the country's surplus was "a little too large." As such, he said the local currency would need to appreciate to attain an equilibrium, thereby explaining the perceived undervaluation of the peso.

However, he said external jitters would likely bring the local currency under pressure in the second quarter. In particular, risk aversion from the lingering fiscal crisis in Europe is seen bringing the local currency to 43.50 against the US dollar by June from around 42:$1 by March this year.

But the currency upswing is seen resuming in the second half, bringing the peso to 42 by September and further to 40 against the greenback by end-2011.

Another factor that would underpin the strength of the peso and other Asian currencies, he added, would be the likelihood that China would allow the renminbi to appreciate.

The Philippines is also seen as among the few countries where the risk of resorting to capital controls was very low given recent pronouncements from the Central Bank (BSP) rejecting such an idea.

What the BSP had instead done, Bhundia said, was to stop rolling over maturing foreign-exchange currency swaps, which had the effect of squeezing peso liquidity by shutting down onshore borrowing rates in peso. But he said this was a very "technical" response that could not likely be sustained going forward.

"We don't think central banks will lean against appreciation. What they will lean against is too rapid appreciation," he said.

Reposted From ANN (Asian News Network)

Monday, January 10, 2011

A Repost From AFP

Eating carrots 'makes you more attractive': study

Eating strongly coloured vegetables and fruit such as carrots and plums makes people more attractive, according to a new British study.

LONDON (AFP) - – Eating strongly coloured vegetables and fruit such as carrots and plums makes people more attractive, according to a new British study.

Researchers at St Andrews and Bristol universities studied the relationship between skin colour and attractiveness, and found people with a yellow skin hue were perceived as particularly healthy and attractive, the Grocer magazine reported.

They also established for the first time that yellow pigments, or carotenoids, from certain fruit and vegetables played a key role in producing yellowness in skin.

As part of the study, 40 volunteers rated 51 Scottish Caucasian faces for healthiness and attractiveness.

The results will be published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour in March, the magazine said.

Ian Stephen, one of the scientists involved in the project, said the link between yellowness and carotenoids opened up new strategies for encouraging young people to eat more fruit and vegetables, especially as it took just two months of increased consumption to produce visible results.

He told the Grocer: "Telling people they might have a heart attack in 40 years' time if they don't eat more healthily is one thing. What we can do is say, 'This is what you could look in a couple of months if you increased your fruit and veg intake'."

Reposted From AFP

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